A man and a woman stole a first-edition copy of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone at the “Art You Grew Up With Exhibition” in Oxfordshire, England. It is estimated that only 300 to 500 copies of this rare book exists; this particular stolen copy was worth over $9,500.
The Sun quoted Oxford book dealer Adrian Greenwood who loaned the book to the exhibit: “It was a first edition that was library stock. A dealer in London had one offered to them by someone who left a fake phone number. It is very unusual. Whoever stole it will have a terrible time selling it. We have photos of where it is restored so it’s easy to identify.”
Bloomsbury UK first acquired the Harry Potter series, publishing Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997. A year later, Scholastic brought Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone to the American market. (Via the Economic Times)